MOTIVATION
Competition is tough in the hospitality industry. New platforms and concepts are increasingly stepping up the pace. To address this trend the first loyalty programs were developed in the 1980s to distinguish their operators from the competition. The aim of the programs was and is to push the price into the background as the criterion for a booking decision by means of offers that are relevant to the customer.

FRUSTRATED EXPECTATIONS
Unfortunately many of these programs did not live up to expectations. One of the main reasons is that the programs were not relevant to hotel guests. They cannot use their card often enough and so their membership does not give them sufficient benefits.

TECHNICAL THROWBACKS
Many hotel companies are still struggling with aging, slow and inflexible systems that are expensive to maintain and whose technological limitations preclude further significant developments. Managing focused promotional and marketing campaigns – tailored to the guest's requirements – is often impossible or hugely time-consuming.